Alphabet Zoo
Alphabet Zoo — frequently asked questions
- What platforms is Alphabet Zoo on?
- Alphabet Zoo was released on Commodore VIC-20, ColecoVision, Atari 8-bit, Commodore C64/128/MAX, ZX Spectrum.
- When did Alphabet Zoo release?
- Alphabet Zoo was first released on December 31, 1984.
About Alphabet Zoo
Alphabet Zoo is an educational maze game viewed from above, challenging players to collect letters scattered throughout the arena. Navigate the maze, use teleporters for quick travel, and race against time to complete letter-based objectives. In one mode, repeatedly collect the first letter of a displayed object, while in another, gather all letters of the object's name in order. Enjoy solo play or compete with a friend in two-player mode. With customizable difficulty settings, including letter case options and level selection, Alphabet Zoo offers an engaging way to reinforce letter recognition and spelling skills for players of various ages and abilities.
Summary via IGDB.
Game details
- Platforms
- Commodore VIC-20, ColecoVision, Atari 8-bit, Commodore C64/128/MAX, ZX Spectrum
- Developer
- Spinnaker
- Publisher
- Spinnaker
- Game modes
- Single player, Multiplayer
- Themes
- Educational
Details via IGDB.
Every version compared
Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release
| Platform | Year | Loose | Complete | Sealed | Period reviews | Fake risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ColecoVision | 1984 | $20 | $49 | — | Graphics ★★★ · Play-Action ★★ | Low (look-alike) |
Release timeline
- ZX Spectrum1984
- Atari 8-bit1984
- Commodore VIC-201984
- Commodore C64/128/MAX1984
- ColecoVision1984
First release on each platform, from IGDB’s records of this game’s ports and editions. Remakes are separate games with their own pages, so they are not listed here.
We haven’t priced or authenticated the versions without a section on this page yet.
Collector value & authenticity
ColecoVision · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-19
How often it sells
- Loose: about 4 times a year
- Complete: about once a year
- Sealed: about once a year
Prices marked “few sales” rest on about one recorded sale a year, so treat them as a rough guide: the next copy could sell well above or below. Expect to wait for one to come up.
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-19.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $12.55 in Apr 2011, $23 five years ago, and $19.74 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2012 | $8.75 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $2.99 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $25 | $35 |
| Jan 2015 | $50 | $51 |
| Jan 2016 | $50 | $51 |
| Jan 2017 | $12.49 | $40 |
| Jan 2018 | $22 | $48 |
| Jan 2019 | $25 | $39 |
| Jan 2020 | $17.77 | $42 |
| Jan 2021 | $22 | $56 |
| Jan 2022 | $19.42 | $57 |
| Jan 2023 | $19.42 | $46 |
| Jan 2024 | $31 | $33 |
| Jan 2025 | $22 | $39 |
| Jan 2026 | $19.00 | $51 |
| Oct 2026 | $19.74 | $49 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory |
|---|
| North America Spinnaker Software |
- Region
- NA
- Released
- 1984
- Authenticity
- Low
A Spinnaker letter-and-spelling maze for children aged 3 to 8, written for small hands rather than for arcade players.
Spinnaker published Alphabet Zoo for the ColecoVision in 1984, and it came from the home-computer side of the catalog rather than from arcades or consoles. Computer Entertainer (issue 3-4) described it as a letter and spelling maze game for children 3 to 8.
In the Letter Game a picture is drawn in the middle of the maze, and you steer your character to collect the first letter of whatever it shows, so a lion means finding every L. Hyperspace circles in the corners jump you to another part of the maze when you press the joystick button. Little else is documented about this particular cartridge.
What the press said at the time
| Computer Entertainer Vol. 3 No. 4 | July 1984 | Graphics ★★★ · Play-Action ★★ |
“The pictures in the middle of the maze are bright and attractive graphically but this is not enough reason to recommend the game as there are other spelling games available which we believe are better for young children.”
Computer Entertainer rated graphics first and play action second, from four symbols (excellent) to one (poor) — diamonds through early 1987, stars after — comparing each game only with other games for the same system.
Before you buy
Plays with the standard controller and needs no overlay or special hardware. The price row shows loose copies only, so a copy with its box and instructions is the better find. It is a children's title with modest demand, so condition of the cartridge and label is the main thing to judge.
Alphabet Zoo screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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